A great loan - but timing may not be right for Seddon return
STEVE Seddon can stake fair claim to being one of the most successful Pompey signings of recent years.
In fact, aside from Ben Thompson’s seismic impact two years ago, when was the last time there was a better loan arrival than the flying full-back?
Matt Clarke, Marc
McNulty and Sean Raggett are all to be considered in recent seasons, but Seddon’s certainly in the argument. And when it comes to temporary January deals, you may well be going all the way back to the most beautiful piece of loan business ever witnessed here in Andres D’Alessandro’s 2006 arrival.
In those 18 appearances from last January, Seddon put a forward-thinking stamp on his position, with shades of Matt Taylor doing the same in such spinetingling fashion 18 years previously.
Purely a personal view, but from the moment he whipped in a precision cross on to the head of Ellis Harrison with dip, swerve and such unerring certainty at Walsall 12 months ago, it was clear Pompey had a player on their hands.
But none of that necessarily makes now the right time for the Berkshire lad to rejoin Kenny Jackett’s Championship crusade.
A disclaimer should be offered at this stage, that if the opportunity presented itself for the Blues to be able to spend to the kind of levels they quite palpably can’t this month, Seddon would be welcomed back with the kind of love afforded few of his peers in recent years.
Pompey, however, are now operating under the kind of constraints they didn’t ask for but have been served up to them nonetheless, after the wage cap and salary restrictions were voted in last summer.
That consequently presents a specific set of problems for Jackett and his recruitment staff to overcome over the next three-and-and-half weeks.
At present the Blues have a single berth available in the 22-man squad they must adhere to for players over the age of 20.
That number could increase to two if Reeco Hackett-Fairchild goes out on loan again as Jackett has stated he’s leaning towards doing, after his return from National League Bromley this week.
The future of Rasmus Nicloaisen is a variable on that front after Jordy Hiwula committed his future to the club, although the Blues boss has made it clear he’s optimistic of the Dane staying put.
That’s the number’s game Pompey are working to, but of greater significance in all reality is the £2.5m wage ceiling which places the club in such a financial straitjacket.
The consequences of how that limits the club’s recruitment is as clear and obvious as those errors VAR was supposed to be used for.
That leads us into the crux of the issue Pompey face this month.
Everything currently points to the Blues being able to bring in one significant addition to their ranks.
Billing that new face is something we have to do carefully - ‘heavy-hitter’ feels a stretch in the restricted world the club are currently operating in, for example.
Still, a look around Jackett’s squad and it soon becomes obvious where most attention is required. And it’s not the left-back role.
Before Cam Pring’s
Bristol City recall, Pompey looked to have like-for-like cover in every position. The personnel may not have been to everyone’s aste, but that was the case.
The one area that was glaringly obvious not so was Andy Cannon’s forwardthinking midfield role.
Jackett has privately viewed his squad as being light in that midfield area for some time, hence the persistent interest in our old favourite Ben Thompson.
That deal, we now know, is off the table. In all probability that will remain so until Jackett’s squad reach the Championship, and are operating at a level which fulfils the Millwall man’s ambitions.
But an injury to Cannon would create a serious and worrying vacuum in midfield creativity right now.
When Pompey spoke to Birmingham last summer about the prospect of a permanent Seddon move, they were startled by the asking price. Enough to shut down that notion immediately.
True, fees do not count towards the cap but wages do, and in the summer of 2019 Seddon signed a three-year contract at Championship level.
That kind of agreement obviously would have brought a degree of security for the player none of us would want to give up.
Yet, that is what fringe Championship players happy y to move down a level perma anently in search of regula ar football will now need to t do.
As a guide, Pompey last summer lost out on Cam meron McGeehan, wi ith the then Barnsley man rumoured to be commanding wages of around £6,000 a week. No matter how much we love and want
Seddon Seddon, what would be the logic in using the budgetary wriggle room to fund a substantial move for a left-back at this point?
Yes, a body is needed in there but it’s one more in keeping with the man who vied with Lee Brown so far like Pring, rather than an addition which takes Pompey to their wage ceiling.
There may be time for toing and froing, as the Blues angle for a loan move which works for their position and offers the player a second promotion bid and the football he craves.
Or the whole argument could be made redundant with an appearance for his current paymasters at any stage. EFL rules state you can’t turn out for three different clubs in one season and Seddon, of course, spent the first half of this term with AFC Wimbledon.
That would be a cast-iron reason for the reunion not taking place, but there are plenty of others which suggest now may not be the right time to see the player fans crave back in royal blue again.